Through the Looking Glass
by M3MEL0RD
Summary: What if everything you've ever known is a lie?


A streak of bright light flashed before her eyes. Luna paid it no mind. That distraction could wait. Homework was more important.

Just a couple of more pages Luna told herself. Then she could have fun. Her father had mandated that she get a head start on her witch training. Hogwarts was the best in the world for a reason, he said. And his daughter needed to be at the head of the class. He had set her up with some of his old books. The volumes were way out of date, but still valuable learning tools that Luna had at her disposal.

The creature brushed by her several more times. It's buzzing appeared to get louder with each pass. It was getting on Luna's nerves. She slammed the pencil down, and decided to give chase. Sitting at a desk all day was boring anyhow. It was time to let some of that energy go.

Luna's room was small, yet not as small as she would like to think it was. The main culprit was poor planning on her part. The other was her house was just simply too small to afford a bigger bedroom. Her room consisted of four main pieces: her bed, coffee table, work desk with her computer, and her propaganda wall. Once upon a time an older cousin had came over. He gave it that name. Luna knew he did it mocking her, but the name stuck. It was her father's masterpiece.

The picture itself contained a crude photoshop of Uncle Sam, and American president Donald Trump. He was dressed in a traditional German military uniform with the Iron Cross proudly displayed across his chest. His finger was pointing directly at the poster. On the bottom the words I WANT YOU were displayed in the colors of the Union Jack.

Luna focused back towards the bug. She soon found herself nipping at its heals. The thing turned out to be a firefly. Not just any firefly. Luna recognized it from her endangered species book. It was a magical lightning bug. It shined brighter when it moved towards her. She remembered that they were once used to determine incoming students potential during the Middle Ages.

She rounded a table, and while reaching for the insect tripped. She hit the ground. Hard. Luna bounced right back up. There was no time to cry. She knew she could catch it. She also knew that it had a chance to get away. She already ran into a table. Something else could easily ruin her day. And something else did.

Just as she was about to catch the bug, she ran head first into her lamp. She winced as it crashed into a million different pieces. As long as her dad did not find out, she felt safe. She had time to repair it.

Luna refocused back to the hunt. She saw that the lightning bug was resting on her bookshelf. It was on the other side of the room. She paused to strategize. The bookshelf was on the far side of the room. If she took just one step he was gone. Luna cursed herself under her breath. If only she were wearing socks. That would allow her to skate across the floor unnoticed. There was a failsafe. Tucked away by her bead was a tennis ball. Leftover from her playing days. She kept it as a stress ball. It would be the perfect tool.

She did not see where he landed, but that wouldn't matter. As long as she hit the shelf. Luna quickly lunged for the ball. No movement. Perfect. She eyed her target. Imagining herself as a bowler. Her windup was very exaggerated, but it served its purpose. She hit the target. Bullzeye. The bug sprang from the shelf.

Luna didn't immediately chase after it. She had decided to use a different approach. Outlast it. Her father had dragged her to a track every day for the past few years. Now was the time to put the training to the test. While she had slipped and fell several times, she still kept going. Even after a few scratches on her legs. One of them even drew a tiny stream of blood. Luna grit her teeth, and marched on. She was not to be bested by some simple creature. She was a human born witch damn it! She could hold her own! She knew she could. Only it was a matter of execution.

That execution lasted for about an hour. It appeared that species had an unlimited amount of stamina. No twelve year old was going to out last it. She sat on the floor in a huff. That bug would be back. If not, she figured there would be more at Hogwarts. Luna wanted revenge. She stared at the floor to take her mind off the loss. Boy was her floor dirty. She looked at it with disgust. Her dad had never really interfered with her room, and it showed. There were dust bunnies everywhere. She wished she could transform them into actual bunnies. That would make cleaning almost a breeze. Almost. Her father would find a way to make it harder. He always did. The rest of her room was clean enough. At least, as far as friends were concerned. It wasn't like her world was falling apart if one little corner of it remained dirty.

She eventually found the strength to stand up. Her knees shook as she did. Luna decided that it was time for a shower. A nice cold one would do wonders in the summer heat. They were in the middle of a heat wave. Luna was baking after her workout. She figured that dying from heat stroke would sour the mood. It was best to just wash up. The shower was a short one. Not meant to get her going. Just something to clean her up before her dad got home. It was not very lady like to wallow in filth.

She spent the next several hours gazing up at the ceiling. Her father had cast a spell to make it look like the night sky. She liked to pass the time by trying to find as many constellations as she could. She slammed her fist against the wall when her dad came home. She only found five. Better than last time, but not good enough. She looked over at her telescope. Soon, she whispered. That night would be cloudy. The rest of the week was nothing but clear skies. She made a mental note to check out the observatory while at Hogwarts. The view atop the castle was to die for.

She brushed her hair, and treaded lightly down the stairs. Her father said nothing, save for a few words mumbled under his breath. She figured a bad day at the office, but dare not ask him about it. Her dad was a rather plump fellow. After serving in the RAF, he apparently decided that exercising every day was above him. Still didn't stop him from forcing Luna to work out though.

She despised him for it. Not even the health benefits were enough for Luna. Her father was a hypocrite. She would probably like it more if he wasn't so fat. He went to his recliner. That was his home. Luna was sure he joked to his buddies how he wished he could use it everywhere. She never knew if he actually did.

After making him a sandwich and fetching his beer, Luna went outside. She took a deep breath, and just let the wind take her. She wanted to go far, far away from there. To just hop on a train and never look back. Hogwarts was that ticket out.

Hogwarts. Just thinking about it made Luna run faster. Yeah, like sprinting at one-hundred percent would make the weekend go by faster. She slowed down. Her house had a huge backyard. Maybe even a couple of acers. She did not want to wander off. Her dad had placed a sensory spell. If her aura crossed it, then he'd know she'd ran off. Instead, she backpedaled a little. Time to practice some magic.

Luna lived in a small village tucked away in a forgotten part of Wales. While they were the only magic family in town, she did not have any fear. The closest neighbor was fifteen minutes away by car. No one would know she was a witch.

She had managed to swipe a practice wand from her dad's safe. Unlike most Britons, magic born families used these wands for self defense in place of guns. Luna felt it made sense, and preferred wands to them. Guns had the ability to jam at the wrong time. That and she did not like the feeling when she shot them. A wand was more passive. Softer.

She started with a few warm up spells. Nothing too serious. The effects were diluted on a practice wand. She knew that Hogwarts was the real deal. Those wands could be fatal. Practice makes perfect, she told herself. Luna practiced well past sundown. Only when the moon was high above the clouds did she call it a day. She found the nearest stump to rest on for a moment.

Now that she had time, Luna thought about Hogwarts. She wanted to get away. She really did. Though there were doubts that crept into her head. Surely there were kids who knew who her dad was. Her hands were starting to shake. What would their reactions be? Would she stand out? Luna had to decide her dress very carefully. The normal, bright rainbow that she wore that day would not be her Hogwarts attire. They had uniforms yes, but she knew from family that had gone they could stylize the uniforms. People's personalities tended to bleed through the shirt. She figured the less attention the better. No wacky hairstyles. Not until she made friends. A simple ponytail was enough. Her thoughts then turned upward to her hair. Her natural blonde might make her stand out. The reflection of the light could give her away. She could just dye it. Though that could invoke questions. Her hands were shaking even more now. She tried to calm down. She took a deep breath. That did nothing. Her breathing just got faster. She decided to walk back to calm down. It worked. Until she got home. Being greeted by her father's yell was the last thing she wanted. She then heard the snap of a belt. Luna flinched. She forgot to fix the lamp.


End file.
